Is Diet Coke Shallow?

As evidenced by Tom Colicchio, Karl Lagerfeld, and the 200 countries that gulp it down 1.7 billion times each day, Diet Coke is a benchmark of cool. But is America’s favorite diet soda getting a little caught up with external appearance? Over at AdWeek, they say that, “The usually press-release-happy folks at Atlanta headquarters are playing this one surprisingly close to the vest, sending out cases of the new Diet Coke to ‘trendsetter[s] in the fashion and design world,’ according to the accompanying card, but saying little else publicly.” Coke exec William White told them in an e-mail: “Fall is all about new looks and new energy, making this a great opportunity to give the Diet Coke can design a refreshing uplift that celebrates the season.” So, is soda the new cocktail dress? And, more pressing, do they not think Grub Street is chic enough to sip the new stuff? [AdWeek]